This invention relates generally to an apparatus for extracting moisture from the ambient air. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for collecting water vapor by the use of desiccants to obtain a moisture rich desiccant; heating the collected moisture rich desiccant by solar radiation means to form a highly concentrated water vapor/air mixture; and then transforming the concentrated water vapor to liquid by cooling and condensation.
There have been many systems for collecting moisture from ambient air. Some systems are simple and/or passive and others require complex mechanics such as heaters and blowers to operate. These systems are most efficient when the moisture content of the ambient air is high. U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,107 to J. E. Riley et al discloses a system that extracts water vapor from the ambient air without mechanical energy or fuel by maximizing various environmental factors that contribute to producing a condensate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,543 to Kertzman discloses a fluid drying tube that may employ a solid desiccant bed to enhance the removal of moisture from the tube. U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,651 to Courneya discloses an apparatus that includes a heat exchanger to cool ambient air to obtain a potable condensate.
Other Patents showing various devices and methods include U.S. Pat. No. 2,782,150; U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,948; U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,126; U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,599; U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,133 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,617. All the above patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
However, the above devices either do not produce a satisfactory quantity of condensate in climates where the moisture content in the atmosphere is low or they are complex, consume large amounts of fuel and/or are large, heavy and cumbersome.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus which efficiently, produces a potable water supply from ambient air even when the moisture content of the ambient air is low and that is simple and easy to operate. It is, therefore, the principle object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that will extract a potable water supply from the ambient air (atmosphere) even when the moisture content is low. It is another important object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that may extract potable water from the atmosphere that is simple, cost efficient and that does not require complex mechanical means and/or fuel fired heaters.